Washington Monthly based its rankings on the public good each school provides in three broad categories including: social mobility, research and service.

When it comes to national universities, here are the top five schools ranked for providing the best bang for your buck.

University of California San Diego – This school got an overall score of 100 in the rankings with a net price of $12,726 and a graduation rate of 88 percent.

University of California Riverside

University of California Berkeley

Texas A&M University College Station

University of California Los Angeles

If you’re after a Master’s Degree the rankings will point you primarily to the East Coast where the New York Schools took a full three of the top five spots. Here are the top five colleges to check out to get the best bang for your buck for a Master’s Degree:

CUNY Brooklyn College – The net price for this school, at $4,500, is relatively affordable for the otherwise high cost of obtaining a Master’s Degree. The other good bit of news is they accept 28 percent of applicants.

CUNY Queens College

CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College

California State University Fullerton

University of Washington Bothell

Looking for the best schools for the Liberal Arts, well then you have a quite a few choices across the country, particularly schools in the Midwest.

Amherst College in Maine – The net price for this school comes in at a steal of $6,721, but only accepts 13 percent of applicants, so be sure to write a killer essay.

Michigan Jewish Institute

University of Minnesota – Morris

Salem College in North Carolina

Grinnell College in Iowa

Check out the Washington Monthly’s full College Guide list HERE to see which schools you can get the best bang for your buck based on the degree you are after.